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US Attorney: Man from Mexico, Morristown woman to serve time in federal prison for meth conspiracy

U.S. attorney Overbey said the two had conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Upper East Tennessee.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — A man from Mexico and a woman from Morristown will spend time in federal prison after a methamphetamine investigation.

According to U.S. attorney J. Douglas Overbey's office, Ildefonso Bautista Nogales, 30, of Mexico, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in April 2019 to conspiring with Erika Lawson, 33, of Morristown, to distributing methamphetamine in Upper East Tennessee.

Overbey said Nogales was distributing meth while illegally in the U.S.

A judge sentenced Nogales to 10 years in federal prison. Lawson was sentenced to serve 8 years and 4 months in federal prison back in June.

Overbey said the investigation was conducted by the Hamblen County Sheriff's Department and the FBI.

RELATED: S.C. man sentenced to nearly 20 years for role in East Tennessee meth conspiracy

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said meth crimes have been rapidly rising in Tennessee in the past three years. Its crime lab said much of that meth is coming from across the Mexico border, saying meth lab seizures across the state continue to drop. 

RELATED: Yearlong meth investigation lands more than 50 people behind bars in Carter County

RELATED: 'Operation Crystal Mountain' results in 375 arrests, 800 pounds of meth seized

RELATED: TBI Crime in Tennessee: Murder and serious crime down, meth crimes up in 2018

RELATED: Here's how TN handles properties quarantined as former meth labs

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